"Crawling from the Wreckage" is a new wave song written by

Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...

and first released by

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

in 1979. Parker, who was unsatisfied with the song, contributed the song to Edmunds, included it on his album ''

Repeat When Necessary ''Repeat When Necessary'' is the fifth album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. Recording and release Produced by Edmunds, it was released in 1979 by Swan Song Records (see 1979 in music). It was recorded and released at the same time as Ni ...

''. Edmunds' version peaked at number 59 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Since its release on ''Repeat With Necessary'', other versions of the song recorded by Edmunds' band

Rockpile Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, gui ...

as well as Parker have been released.

Background

"Crawling from the Wreckage" was written by

and given to

to record for his 1979 album ''

''. Edmunds explained, "He called me up from the studio. He was in there with his band

Rumour A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...

. They were trying to record it and it wasn't working, for some reason. It kept coming out like another song he'd done, 'East Coast Shuffle' or something like that The New York Shuffle' And he said, 'It's just not working with us but it sounds like it'll work for you! Do you want it?' And I said, 'Yep' and I did it and that was it." Parker, meanwhile, stated the song was a ''

Squeezing Out Sparks ''Squeezing Out Sparks'' is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Graham Parker and his band the Rumour. The album was released in March 1979. Although the Rumour were not credited on the cover, their name was included on the album ...

'' reject that Rumour guitarist

Martin Belmont Martin Belmont (born 21 December 1948) is an English rock and country-blues guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour. Life and career Belmont was born in Bromley, Kent, England. After working as a roadie ...

thought Edmunds would like. Parker recalled, Crawlin was written at the time I was writing the ''Sparks'' material and was obviously too frivolous a song to fit with those sessions. Martin Belmont, as it happens, heard my demo of it and asked if he could play it for Dave who was scouting for stuff. Good call, Mart."

Release

In addition to appearing as the second track on Edmunds' 1979 album ''

'', "Crawling from the Wreckage" was released as the third single from that album. The single reached number 59 in the UK. Since then, the song has appeared on several Edmunds compilation albums. The song's sales led Parker to joke that the song kept him in swimming pools, though he later remarked, "I was of course joking when I said Edmunds' version of 'Wreckage' has kept me in swimming pools ever since. It might have paid for the odd hairbrush, though."

Critical reception

'' Goldmine'' called the song "hilarious".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

dubbed it a "classic" and "relentless" in a retrospective review. ''

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' ranked it Edmunds' third best song on their top ten list of Edmunds songs, writing that it "sounds tailor-made for Edmunds, who swings and sways throughout."

Chart history

Other versions

"Crawling from the Wreckage" regularly appeared in setlists for shows by Edmunds' band

. Live versions of the song appears on the Rockpile live albums ''Live at Rockpalast'' and ''Live at Montreux 1980''. Edmunds also included a live take done with the Dave Edmunds Band on '' I Hear You Rockin'''. Two live takes by Parker have also been released: a cut on his 1996 live album, ''Live from New York, NY'', as well as a 1979 live take performed with the Rumour on the 2016 compilation ''These Dreams Never Sleep''.

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

also released a version of the song. Parker later stated he was "thrilled" that the band covered the song. He stated, "I bought a copy right away. ... To be covered by Quo...I was pleasantly stunned."

References

{{Graham Parker & The Rumour Swan Song Records singles Dave Edmunds songs Graham Parker songs 1979 songs